1. The morning before the meal, take the chicken from the fridge, wash it down, and pat it dry. Rub it all-over with the salt and pepper, then cover it and put it in the fridge.
2. Two and a half hours before mealtime, preheat the oven to 375*F. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the potatoes, one lemon, and all of the garlic cloves, and boil for 12-minutes.
3. While the potatoes are boiling, rub the chicken down with olive oil and put it into a baking dish large enough to fit the potatoes and the chicken together.
4. Drain the potatoes and put them back into the pot until later. Take the garlic cloves and and lemon, and set them aside.
5. Coat the inside of the chicken with the thyme. Take a sharp knife and pierce the lemon ten times, then place it in the chicken along with the garlic cloves.
6. Cook the chicken for 45 minutes at 375*.
7. Remove the chicken from the oven, and also from the baking dish. Toss the potatoes and the rosemary in the chicken grease, and make a space in the middle of the dish for the chicken to go.
8. Place the chicken back in the baking dish with the potatoes, and drape the bacon over the chicken, covering as much of it as possible. Cook for another 45 minutes.
9. The chicken is done cooking when you poke the area between the leg and the body with a fork, and the juice runs clear.
10. Remove the lemon and garlic from the inside of the chicken, as well as the bacon on top, and carve the chicken.
11. Cut-open the lemon, and remove as much pulp as possible. Dice the bacon. Mix both with the potatoes.
12. Arrange the carved chicken on top of the potatoes. Cut the remaining lemon in half, and squeeze it over the chicken and potatoes. Serve.